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Asia's appetite for meat and climate control: what next?

Despite profound changes and a shift in attitude towards a meatless future, meat remains the leading hidden culprit of climate change.

The debate over fossil fuels has dominated
headlines about climate change for so long that a silent culprit has remained
relatively overlooked: animal agriculture. As Asian incomes rise and prosperity
grows, the region has overtaken the US and Europe as the world's biggest meat
producer, as well as carbon emitter.

Deforestation, land and water degradation, waste and harmful gas emissions are
the chilling results of raising animals for food, causing a devastating effect
on many of our ecosystems and consequently making our livestock sector the
second largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas emissions after the
energy sector.

At this rate, global food demand could double by 2050,
largely from the developing economies of China, India and other Asian
countries. Annual meat production is forecasted to increase 72
percent from 218 million tonnes in 1997-1999 to 376 million tonnes by 2030.

Not only will this surge place mounting
pressure on our food systems and cause further disruption to our environment,
but it will also become increasingly challenging to provide the population with
safe, nutritious and affordable food.

Tasting the future one fake beef burger at a time

Underestimating the impact of animal-based production systems means we are also underestimating how much needs to be done to combat climate change. Providing Asia and the rest of the world with safe, nutritious and affordable food requires a fundamental change in our consumption habits, making a conscious shift towards more sustainable approaches.

The most impactful way to do this would be to shift our diets away from meat, which could slash in half per capita greenhouse gas emissions related to eating. Enter the Impossible Burger, also known as the 'the fake meat that bleeds', a plant-based burger that looks, feels and tastes exactly like ground beef.

"Continuing meat consumption at current rates will have a devastating impact on our planet."

Making the impossible
possible, in 2016, the United States-based Impossible Foods engineered a
meatless burger that is not only healthier, but comes without the destructive
impact of livestock. By using all natural ingredients and one magic
ingredient called heme, the
scientists behind this revolution were able to push the boundaries of new
technologies and food security without compromising on the core elements of
beef.
Top investors, including Bill Gates and Li
Ka Shing, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings and Google
Ventures, have all taken a big bite out of the meatless burger and invested in
the meatless start-up. Impossible Foods says it will shape the future of the
planet and set the bar high for many more innovative, sustainable and
alternative protein sources. After launching in the United States, Impossible
now wants to secure half its sales in Asia, where many of its high-profile
financial backers are from. It has also targeted Asia's high-end restaurants
and celebrity chefs to pursue its ambitious expansion plans across the region.

The rise and rise of Asia's growing
consumer conscience is creating business opportunities closer to home as well,
with David Yeung from Hong Kong's Green Common credited with helping to change
the way that Asia thinks about food.

"We know what people crave in Hong Kong; this
is where we can add value by translating these products for the Asian palette,"
Yeung told CNBC recently.

Yeung has pioneered the "flexitarian"
movement with his promotion of Green Monday – a startup that promotes simple,
low-carbon, sustainable living – in Hong Kong, which has the highest per-capita
consumption of meat and seafood in the world, according to Euromonitor. His
Beyond Meat's 100% plant-based products are now found at restaurants and in
supermarkets across the region.

Yet, despite these profound changes and a
shift in attitudes towards a meatless future, meat is still king, remaining
largely ingrained in diets across many communities in the world. The food and
agriculture system will continue to face significant challenges, but one thing
is clear: the
world cannot continue to consume meat at such alarming rates without a
devastating impact to our planet.

Taiwan's first-ever offshore wind farm is garnering great interest in green energy and paves the way for similar projects across Asia Pacific. What is driving demand, what sort of financing is required and how do they become commercially viable?